MIAMI BEACH — As fair visitors flowed in and out of the Miami Beach Convention Center on the third day of Art Basel, Friday, December 8, artists and activists from multiple advocacy groups rallied outside the entrance to demand a permanent ceasefire in Palestine. Calling for an end to Miami-Dade County’s investments in Israeli bonds to the tune of $76 million, demonstrators lined up along Convention Center Drive holding Palestinian flags and placards that read “Divest From Death” and “Call It What It Is: Genocide.”
Under the collective name South Florida Coalition for Palestine, the ad hoc group of over 100 demonstrators includes both cultural workers and members of the nationwide anti-Zionist group Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP).
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Protesters chanted, “Netanyahu, what do you say? How many kids did you kill today?” as a few cars in the adjacent parking lot honked. Others, including fairgoers exiting the Convention Center who were taken by surprise by the demonstration, booed at the group; one woman shouted, “release the hostages.” Wendy Blazier, a local art historian and curator, told Hyperallergic amid tears that she was moved to see young people “protesting against violence.”
At least 16 police officers surrounded the protesters as they unfurled and held up a massive green banner with the words “Let Palestine Live” on the sidewalk facing the building parking lot. Around 4:15pm, an hour into the action, a demonstrator was arrested after an apparent scuffle with an officer who blocked him from crossing the designated protest area. The Miami Beach Police Department has not yet responded to Hyperallergic’s request for comment.
Nikki Morse, a filmmaking teacher from West Palm Beach and member of the South Florida chapter of SVP, told Hyperallergic that she was at the protest to affirm the point that “never again is now.”
“As an observant Jew, I’m horrified to see what’s being done in Palestine, the genocide that’s taking place, supposedly in our name,” Morse said. “I’m here to say: This is not in our name, this is not for Jewish safety.”
The demonstration comes as the death toll continues to rise in Gaza and the Occupied Territories, with more than 17,000 Palestinians killed by the Israeli military since October 7 as the United States continues to provide weapons to the regime. International entities including the United Nations have called for urgent action to stop the attacks in order “to prevent genocide against the Palestinian people.”
This is a developing story. Please check back throughout the day for updated information.
Source: Hyperallergic.com